Many individuals, businesses, and organizations occasionally have a need for custom printed materials, such as business cards, party invitations, product or service brochures, promotional postcards, or any number of other items. Some of these individuals and businesses turn to sources such as a local print shop for assistance in preparing the materials. Others may attempt to create the product themselves using specialized software purchased and installed on a personal computer to design the product and using their local printer attached to their personal computer to perform the printing.
An increasingly popular alternative for obtaining these types of materials is the use of a Web-based printing service provider that takes advantage of the capabilities of the Web and modern Web browsers to provide document design services from any computer with Web access at whatever time and place is convenient to the user. Computerized systems typically provide their customers with the ability to access and view a wide range of pre-designed product templates, select a desired template, and enter information to create a customized product design. Typically, a user can add, modify, and position custom text and upload images to be added to the electronic product design. When a user is satisfied with the design of the product, the user can place an order with the printing service provider for the production of a desired quantity of high quality printed versions of the product to be delivered to the customer's home or business.
In another computer-related field, high quality mapping software is available from various vendors either online or on a CD or other media and mapping software applications have become common. Examples include mobile applications, like handheld and automotive map systems using global positioning technology, and commercial establishment applications, such as customized driving maps printed at car rental offices for individual customers. In the Web environment, various free services available on the Web, such as MapQuest.com and Yahoo.com, allow an individual to enter a street address and view a corresponding map. Tools to modify the displayed map by zooming or scrolling are also commonly provided. Businesses maintaining Web sites frequently incorporate access to a mapping service to display maps for stores and custom driving directions from an address entered by the user.
Printed business and promotional materials incorporating a map depicting the location of an office or a special event can provide an edge in a competitive business environment and be of significant value in assisting new and infrequent customers. There is, therefore, a need for an improved electronic product customization system that allows a user of a Web-based product design system to easily incorporate a high resolution customized map into a product design intended for subsequent printing.